Cooking soup with green leafy vegetables requires attention to proper cooking methods.

Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, rapeseed, celery, crown daisy, and others, have always been the stars of our dining tables. They are rich in various vitamins, potassium, calcium, magnesium, dietary fiber, and folic acid. Besides being commonly stir-fried, some people also enjoy making soups with leafy greens. Cooking leafy greens in soup requires specific techniques.

Experts point out that leafy greens are not suitable for long-simmered soups. First, from a health perspective, vegetables, especially leafy greens, have a higher nitrate content. If stored for too long or simmered for an extended period, nitrates can convert into nitrites, which are harmful to the body. Therefore, leafy greens must be eaten fresh. This "freshness" not only refers to a short storage time but also means not cooking them for too long or reheating them repeatedly.

Second, from a nutritional standpoint, if leafy greens are cooked for a long time, some of their nutrients will change. For example, antioxidants can easily oxidize and change color.

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Finally, in terms of texture, leafy greens are also not ideal for soups. Overcooking will make the leaves soft and their color darker, affecting their original flavor. If you want to make a vegetable soup, it's best to choose root and stem vegetables, which have lower nitrite content. Many of them are suitable for long cooking times, such as white radish, potato, Chinese yam, and lotus root, all of which make for delicious soups.

Experts suggest that if you are making a soup with leafy greens, you should use high heat and boiling water, add the vegetables, blanch them for a moment, and then turn off the heat immediately. Leafy greens can also be briefly stir-fried in oil before being added to the soup. This cooking method can rapidly deactivate the oxidase in the vegetables, better preserving vitamins and chlorophyll. The resulting soup will not only be highly nutritious but also look good.

Additionally, experts note that when drinking this type of leafy green soup, some soluble vitamins and inorganic salts have already dissolved into the broth, so you should eat both the vegetables and the soup together. Moreover, the soup is best made and consumed immediately. Leaving it for too long or reheating it repeatedly can lead to a loss of some nutrients.